March 30, 2012

Springing

The trees in my woods are still bare, just brown branches and dead leaves, but brilliant green mosses seem suddenly to be everywhere, covering every stump and log with the luxurious fabric you might see in a fairy tale. I couldn't resist lying down on the ground to look at this bit of moss up close, touching the sporophytes with my fingers. I could just imagine how much fun it would be if I could shrink myself down until I was about an inch tall and then spend the afternoon climbing around in a patch of moss.

I've actually done that. It's fun, but ants the size of St. Bernards are really, really scary. The ladybug was like a big, round footstool, which was cozy, but when the centipede showed up with its big jaws, looking like a train of roller coaster cars, it was time to go home.